Will females ever achieve equal footing with their male sporting counterparts?

Whether or not females will ever achieve equal footing with their male sporting counterparts is a good question. The answer however I believe is yes. Back 50 years ago if you would have asked a random person if women would ever stand equal to men in society they most likely would have said no. That being said nowadays I consider women to be right there alongside their male counterparts in society. Women have the same opportunities as men when it comes to getting an education and a good paying job. Granted we still don’t have hardly any female CEO’s but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have the opportunity to receive one of these high profile positions. Now getting back to sports, because women have risen so high in society when it comes to being compared to men, it is entirely possible that women in sports will someday stand alongside men as well. The days of the man going out and bringing home the bacon while the wife stays home to cook, clean and take care of the kids are over. It still happens, but definitely not as often as say 20 years ago and probably will happen less often in the next 20. The male patriarchy is gone, the women have fought hard for equal rights, and they have won for the most part. There are still places where women struggle but in time it will most likely change too. We have seen in our readings how sports have followed society and adapted to societies needs, making this argument more believable. Society has allowed women to rise, therefore sports will allow women to rise as well. It may not be tomorrow but eventually women will have equal footing with their male sporting counterparts.

Topic A

In today’s society sports figures have too much influence on the people who follow them. That being said, those same people who are influenced by their favorite sports figures complain continuously about how players should just shut up and play the game. I believe that athletes should take a stance on their beliefs even though they rarely do. The reason for this is because like American society, the athletes are continuously worrying about their public image. Many of them have image consultants or public relations people, who ensure that they get the maximum positive recognition. Most of what Ali said was good and needed to be said. However, when he said in the documentary that we watched in class, that 400 years ago he was a slave was completely mindless and ignorant. I understand what happened during slavery and remorseful for the way my ancestors treated blacks. That does not mean however that I am responsible nor does it allow a black man to walk around with a chip on his shoulder for something that harmed him in no way shape or form. To hear some of these guys talk, someone ignorant of the subject would think slavery ended yesterday. I do admire Ali because when he spoke, he backed up what he said. His words were not empty, he didn’t talk just because he liked to hear the sound of his own voice, he talked because he believed in what he was saying. If athletes believe that strongly about something, they should speak out on the subject regardless if what popular opinion says. Ali wasn’t always the most popular guy but he earned the respect of many people, including myself, by the way he acted on his words.

Womens Sports

In most sports, men are the main attraction, they draw the most fans and are on ESPN way more than the women. College basketball is no exception to this standard. The average basketball fan wont watch women’s basketball but will be inclined to follow mens basketball, especially around March Madness. I am a very big basketball fan so I can enjoy a good womens games just like a mens game. The difference between them, and the reason the average fan watches is because men are more exciting then women on the basketball floor. The women cannot pull off the fancy spin moves or the alley-oop dunks that men can. Which leads to a less exciting game that, unless you can appreciate good basketball, wont be selected by your television remote. Last nights game, Baylor vs Connecticut could have been a major milestone in bridging that gap between mens and womens basketball. Even the average fan would have to tune in, if only for a few minutes, to see if Baylor’s outstanding freshman could single handily give Uconn their first loss in almost 80 games. The final score had Uconn beating Baylor by 20+, an average win for the huskies, who beat opponents in the top 25 by an average of 26 points during the season. Nevertheless, leading up to the game, Brittany Griner, who stands 6 foot 8 inches tall was the only reason why Baylor was in the Final Four and the only reason Baylor was given a chance to win. Obviously Uconn proved to be too much for Baylor but even Uconn must know that next year Baylor will be the only team that will be able to play with them and possibly beat them. Brittany Griner is the best thing to happen to Womens basketball in such a long time. Average fans will tune in to see her dominate every single big girl teams can throw at her. She has already broken the NCAA’s record for blocked shots in a season as a freshman. She has three more years with unlimited potential and several records just begging her to shatter them like a soft layup.